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"The African Hippo" Dolomite Shona Stone Sculpture Hand Carved in Zimbabwe! #2 Product Description Gorgeous hippo sculpted out of dolomite stone from Zimbabwe. Polished to a high lustre show the true beauty of the stone. Dolomiteis often pink or pinkish and can be colorless, white, yellow, gray or even brown or black when iron is present in the crystal. Luster is pearly to vitreous to dull. Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent. Hardness is 3.5-4 Streak is white. Associated Minerals: include calcite, sulfide ore minerals, fluorite, barite, quartz and occasionally with gold.Shona sculpture is unique to Zimbabwe where this art form has been perfected over generations. This piece captures in stone the beauty of African Hippos in the artists eye. These would make a terrific and exotic gift for someone special or by a fireplace or on a bookshelf maybe.Weighs about 13.25lbs.Please check the images for dimensions or contact me for specifics. Thanks for looking and helping to support the artists. Hippopotamus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hippopotamus Conservation status Vulnerable(IUCN 3.1)[1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Hippopotamidae Genus: Hippopotamus Linnaeus, 1758 Species: H. amphibius Binomial name Hippopotamus amphibius Linnaeus,1758[2] Range map[1] Thehippopotamus(Hippopotamus amphibius), orhippo, from theancient Greekfor "river horse" (ἱπποπόταμος), is a large, mostlyherbivorousmammal insub-Saharan Africa, and one of only twoextantspeciesin thefamilyHippopotamidae(the other is thePygmy Hippopotamus.) After theelephantandrhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the thirdlargest land mammaland the heaviest extantartiodactyl. The hippopotamus issemi-aquatic, inhabitingrivers,lakesandmangroveswamps, where territorial bulls preside over a stretch of river and groups of 5 to 30 females and young. During the day they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth both occur in water. They emerge at dusk to graze on grass. While hippopotamuses rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land. Despite their physical resemblance topigsand other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, their closest living relatives arecetaceans(whales,porpoises, etc.) from which they diverged about 55 million years ago.The common ancestor of whales and hippos split from other even-toed ungulates around 60million years ago.The earliest known hippopotamus fossils, belonging to thegenusKenyapotamusin Africa, date to around 16million years ago. The hippopotamus is recognizable by its barrel-shaped torso, enormous mouth and teeth, nearly hairless body, stubby legs and tremendous size. It is the third largest land mammal by weight (between 1½ and 3 tonnes), behind thewhite rhinoceros(1½ to 3½ tonnes) and the three species ofelephant(3 to 9 tonnes). The hippopotamus is one of the largestquadrupeds(four legged mammals)and despite its stocky shape and short legs, it can easily outrun a human. Hippos have been clocked at 30km/h (19mph) over short distances. The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive creatures in the world and is often regarded as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. There are an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 hippos throughoutSub-Saharan Africa;Zambia(40,000) andTanzania(20,000–30,000) possess the largest populations.They are still threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat andivorycanine teeth. There is also a colony of non-zoo hippos inColombiaintroduced byPablo Escobar. Shona Art From Wikipedia: Shona artis contemporary stone sculpture fromZimbabwe. African stone sculpture is not traditional, although much of its subject matter has traditional roots. The art movement began around 1956 and was initiated byFrank McEwenwho at the time was the Director of The National Gallery of Rhodesia. During its early years of growth, it was described as an art renaissance, an art phenomenon and a miracle. Critics and collectors could not understand how an art genre had developed with such vigour, spontaneity and originality in an area of Africa which had none of the great sculptural heritage of West Africa and had previously been described in terms of the visual arts as artistically barren. Fifteen years of sanctions against the country obscured works from the Western world (apart from highly acclaimed exhibitions organised by Frank Mc Ewen in major museums such as Musee dArt Moderne, Paris; Musee Rodin, Paris; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, London). Yet these years also witnessed the honing of technical skills, the deepening of expressive power, the use of harder and different stones and the creation of many outstanding works. Since independence in 1980, the sculpture has been exhibited in the art capitals of the world and great acclaim has been accrued to the artists and the art form. In spite of the increasing demand, as yet little commercialisation has occurred. The most dedicated of artists display a high degree of integrity, never copying and still working entirely by hand, with spontaneity and a confidence in their skills, unrestricted by tedious drawings or measuring. The sculpture speaks of fundamental human experiences - experiences such as grief, elation, humour, anxiety and spiritual search - and has always managed to communicate these in a profoundly simple and direct way that is both rare and extremely refreshing. The artist 'works' together with his stone and it is believed that 'nothing which exists naturally is inanimate'- it has a spirit and life of its own. One is always aware of the stone's contribution in the finished sculpture and it is indeed fortunate that in Zimbabwe a magnificent range of stones are available from which to choose - hard black springstone, richly coloured serpentine and steatites, firm grey limestone and semi-precious Verdite and Lepidolite *********************************************** Please browse through my other listings in my eCRATER store here:http://stores.eCRATER.com/africancraftwork You will find : Exclusive hand carved Shona Stone sculptures. Musical instruments from Zimbabwe such as drums, mbiras, maracas & marimbas. Wire frame & beaded motorcycles, cars and animals, all hand assembled. An expanding quality selection of baskets and batik wall hangings. Walking sticks, masks and other ethnic curio & artifacts. 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